Getting Together, Making a Difference: focus on asylum seekers

Womens International Group (WIG) are holding the second in a series of ‘Getting Together, Making a Difference’ events next week.

CLD worker Lynn McCabe, who supports the WIG group, said: “The event is taking place next Thursday (24th September) from 10 – 12.30 in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. This event will be addressing important issues such as home, immigration, asylum and human rights. The centre will be a drop-off point that day for anyone wishing to donate basic supplies to support Syrian refugees stranded in Calais.”

See poster (below) for further information or call Lynn on 552 5700

WIG event 24 September

Six days to go: Collection points for EDA Syria Appeal

A final reminder of the local collection points for donations to the Edinburgh Direct Aid Syria appeal (the container leaves in SIX days):

Community Shop, Pennywell Road

Pilton Youth & Childrens Project, West Pilton Place

Spartans Community Football Academy, Ainslie Park

Edinburgh Direct Aid warehouse, West Harbour Road

WHAT’S NEEDED by EDA:

NO MORE CLOTHES, SHOES or BEDDING!

Thank you, but we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of response – our container is almost bulked out. If you have already collected goods on our list – padded jackets, welly boots, etc., – do bring them in. If we can’t send them now, we’ll send them later – but please don’t organise any new collections at the moment!

BUT DEFINITELY:

(new!) underwear
toothpaste
toothbrushes
soap
detergent
toilet paper
nappies
sanitary towels
wipes

and for schools and vocational training:

notebooks, A4 paper
pens/pencils, boardwriters
sewing materials, wool

EDA WAREHOUSE OPENING TIMES:

Wednesday and Saturdays until SEPTEMBER 23

11:00am to 3pm

Contact Ann at 0781 494 9468

Do the seaside survey

Please see below for details of a new survey on Marine Tourism and Recreation and details of how you can take part:

Dear member,

The first results of the marine tourism and recreation survey are in and they look promising. In the first four weeks we have had almost 1000 responses across 20 activities. Most people have listed more than one activity and so that means we could have approaching 4000 records of where people use the coast and what for. Great news for tourism and recreation in the new world of marine planning as they can be more confident that their interests and views will be taken into account in future decision making.

This is great news but there is no time to relax!!

Returns on activities vary, we are looking for more responses from niche interests such as long distance swimming but also from more popular activities such as angling, rowing, visiting historical sites, motor boat cruising and windsurfing.

Although we have done a lot to promote the survey, through social media (there is both a Facebook page and a twitter feed), through partner organisations and thousands of direct emails, postcards and letters, the personal touch is without a doubt the best way to spread the word and that is where I ask you to help make this the best survey of the sector ever.

Please can you send on the survey to anyone you can think of who may have been to the coast or used the sea for recreation? They could be a family friend who you only ever see on facebook building sand castles, it could be your daughter whose friends are mad about dinghy racing, it could be your colleagues who get together to go for a walk from time to time and occasionally go to the coast or it could be your organisations core business! Please make sure that everyone you can think of has had a chance to have a look at the survey.

Of course there is also the business survey. Anyone who runs a business which relies in some way on the marine environment should fill this one in. A one man band, a bed and breakfast in a coastal town, a marina, boat yard or tour operator!

All you have to do is click here – http://www.marinerecreationandtourism.scot/survey/

Thank you.

Sarah Brown

Project Manager, Firth of Clyde Forum

www.clydeforum.com

07774 160931

STOP PRESS:

Scotland has just been voted the ‘World’s Best Cruising Ground’ in the prestigious Sailing Today Awards

Community invite to strategy consultation

Craighall Centre Health & Social Care event

The three month public consultation on the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership’s draft Strategic Plan and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment ends on 31 October and the Strategic Planning Group, which is overseeing the consultation, is keen to hear from citizens, communities and stakeholders.

The city council is inviting local community groups, organisations and individuals to participate in and give their views on the integration of health and social care services and has organised a number of events across the city to enable you to find out what’s been proposed and have your say.

The local event takes place at Craighall Centre, 210 Ferry Road on Monday 28 September from 1 – 2.30pm (note change of time).

There is a web link included in the flier so people can access to view the plan:

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/

Helping the helpless: local collection points for humanitarian aid

Edinburgh Direct Aid supporting Syrian refugees

Newhaven -based charity Edinburgh Direct Aid (EDA) is supporting international efforts to give aid to the tens of thousands of desperate people who have been forced to flee their homes, run for their lives and risk the safety of their families.

We can help by providing much-needed supplies – we can all help to make a difference.

The public response has already been tremendous, but the following items are urgently needed:

underwear (new!)
toothpaste
toothbrushes
soap
detergent
toilet paper
nappies
sanitary towels
wipes

And equipment needed for education and vocational training:

notebooks

A4 paper

pens/pencils

boardwriters

sewing materials

wool’

WHERE TO DONATE:

GRANTON MUIRHOUSE and WEST PILTON

The EDA warehouse is located behind a wire-grid gate on the south side of West Harbour Road – just past the TEBA boxing studio and opposite Len Lothian. It’s now open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11am – 3pm.

It is usually possible to park in the road outside, or to bring a car inside the gate but manoeuvring inside the yard can be awkward.

For further information contact Ian on 0785 785 5849

If it’s more convenient, you can make your donations in Muirhouse or West Pilton – both Muirhouse Community Shop on Pennywell Road (Monday to Friday 9am -3pm) and Pilton Youth & Childrens Project (PYCP) (telephone 332 9815) are also collection points for the Edinburgh Direct Aid appeal.

Please give what you can

Celebrate with Granton Youth Centre

GYC Annual General Meeting
Friday 25 September
1.30pm for 2pm start.

Please find attached calling notice for our AGM and Annual Youth Work Celebration (see below).

This year’s celebration will again include staff and young people presenting work completed and achievements gained, we look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP – wendy@grantonyouth.com

Annual General Meeting 2015 Invite – notice

North West Carers annual general meeting

North West Carers Centre invite you to their

Annual General Meeting

at The Prentice Centre, Granton Mains Avenue

on Friday 11 September from 1 – 3pm.

RSVP by Friday 4 September for catering purposes – call 315 3130 or email resource@nwcarers.org.uk

Triple exposure: Awards for Edinburgh College photography students

Edinburgh College’s photography students have scooped top awards in two national industry competitions that reward the UK’s best young talent.

Three BA Professional Photography students were honoured by the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) and the Association of Professional Photographers (AOP) in each organisation’s student awards.

Greg Abramowicz kicked off the new term with the BIPP Student of the Year Award, with fellow student Kinga Kocimska taking home the BIPP College Portfolio Award. Eleni Laparidou, who graduates from the BA this September, won the AOP Student Awards Product Shots: Sense category.

The work submitted by the students was all the product of projects they did last year at Edinburgh College.

Greg won the BIPP Student of the Year Award for a portfolio of images he produced during an advertising project. He worked with professional athletes and local rugby clubs to convey the spirit of sport.

Greg said: “I am very honoured to receive the award. It is a great reward after an intense academic year. The win gave me confidence that I’m able to produce high-quality images and I’m hoping this is just the beginning of a productive future.”

Eleni won the AOP Product Shots Award for a project set by the deafblind charity Sense, which briefed students to photograph products from a typical Sense store. The aim was for the viewer to be surprised when they learned that the props came from a charity shop.Eleni, whose work often includes Greek myth and costume design, approached the brief by organising a fashion shoot with props from three different charity shops. The awards party at The Print Space gallery in London gave Eleni the opportunity to exhibit her work to professionals at the heart of the industry.

BA Photographer Kinga Kocimska won the BIPP College Portfolio Award for her conceptual still-life images, which explore the complexities of everyday objects as seen by sufferers of dementia. The project was inspired by personal contact with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

Kinga said: “I am grateful to all the lecturers who taught me in the last four years for sharing their knowledge and experience – this was of great help in developing the skills and thinking I can now use to produce creative imagery with commercial potential.

“Receiving the award has been a great confidence booster and extra encouragement to continue working hard and develop fresh ideas.”

Photography lecturer Jon Lee said: “What a great result for our students, I am over the moon. This year our students have again demonstrated that they are at the top of their professional field when it comes to photography.”

The Prentice Centre’s guid fur a laugh!

With two free fun courses starting in October, The Prentice Centre in Granton Mains is the place to be for fans of Scottish culture this autumn …

‘Guid fer a Laugh’ takes a seriously funny look at Scottish comedy over the years. The course starts on Tuesday 6 October from 6 -8pm and runs for ten weeks (and maybe more if there are calls for an encore!)

SCOTTISH COMEDY POSTER

A bit more highbrow (but only a wee bit!) is ‘An Introduction to the History of Scottish Theatre’. This free ten-week course starts on Monday 5 October from 1.30 – 3.30pm and includes theatre visits.

THEATRE POSTER

Both courses are free. To book your place or for further information call The Prentice Centre on 552 0485.

A pure cornucopia of Scottish culture, so it is!

Scottish Gas hires thirty Smart Meter apprentices

British Gas is set to recruit up to 200 Smart Energy Experts taking the total recruited up to 1,000 this year
Scottish Gas will recruit around 30 apprentices into roles across Scotland
1.5 million smart meters have been installed in homes by British Gas – they are now being fitted at a rate of one every sixty seconds!

British Gas will hire up to 200 apprentices in smart metering across Britain, taking the total recruited to approximately 1,000 this year, it’s been announced. Of those new roles, around 30 will be with Scottish Gas.

The apprentices will join the 1,400 British Gas Smart Energy Experts already installing smart meters in homes across Britain. British Gas expects to continue recruiting in smart metering to complete the nationwide roll-out by 2020.

The apprentices will install smart meters, explain to customers how to use the smart meter in-home display, which shows how much energy is being used in pounds and pence, and provide energy efficiency advice.

Customers will benefit from an end to estimated bills, accurate meter readings and the ability to better understand their energy usage, resulting in potential savings on bills. British Gas is currently trialling Smart Pay As You Go with customers who have prepayment meters. The company is also creating new apps that give smart meter customers information about their energy use on their phone.

British Gas has installed over 1.5 million smart meters in homes across Britain, and is now fitting them at an average rate of one every sixty seconds. More than 117,000 smart meters have been installed by Scottish Gas in Scottish households.

John Craig, Director of Smart Operations, British Gas, based in Edinburgh, said: “This year, we will recruit around 1,000 apprentices in smart metering. We’ve taken the lead in giving our customers more control and insight into their energy use through smart meters. The new recruits will mean we can help even more people benefit from smart meters.”

The new Scottish Gas recruits will receive technical training and will study for the City & Guilds Level 2 QCF Diploma in Smart Metering Dual Fuel. Once they have qualified, they will be ready to go into customers’ homes across Scotland to install smart meters. They will each have their own fully-equipped van, and be supported by the latest tablet and mobile phone technology.

Pictured: Smart meter apprentice, Sam Gibb from Edinburgh – who recently started training as part of this new recruitment drive in the initial 70 Scottish Gas roles.

Pictures by Chris Watt